Chapter 142: Standing Alone (4)

Japanese Onmyodo, which began to sprout from the Asuka period, blossomed as time passed and developed unique characteristics distinct from the mainland.

They independently developed their abilities, which took a truly peculiar form.

The origin of Japanese sorcery was the mainland. The sorcery that crossed over to Japan from the mainland captivated the Japanese, and those who had nothing to rely on but their own bodies and talents became sorcerers by indulging in it. And the first to learn sorcery, the so-called 'first generation', sought truth and the Way like other sorcerers, but...

As time passed, Japanese sorcerers began to prioritize survival over seeking enlightenment and training.

Typically, sorcerers developed divination to gain the protection of those in power, but due to the frequent wars in Japan, these sorcerers desired more to protect themselves and longed for their safety to continue for generations.

If they hid in the mountains, they were attacked for evading taxes; if they stayed in villages, they were forcibly conscripted; if they barely returned alive, they starved to death due to harsh taxes. If they boasted of their talents in sorcery, they might be employed, but inevitably overusing sorcery would terribly damage their bodies and lead to death.

Moreover, it was difficult to become close to those in power and receive their protection as in other places.

Being close wasn't the problem.

The problem was not knowing when the head of that powerful person they were close to might roll.

They could die from assassin attacks, be killed by curses thrown by opponents, die in war, be taken prisoner, die during peasant rebellions, have their bodies cut to pieces by sword energy from warriors, or die from typhoons or earthquakes.

And when they died like that?

Naturally, the efforts of the sorcerer who had built a relationship with that powerful person would vanish into thin air.

No, it would be fortunate if it just vanished into thin air.

It was not uncommon for them to be executed together with the powerful person or to be reduced to a 'tool' by the newly appointed powerful person. Sorcery was only a problem in terms of its price, but its effects were often useful, so if one squeezed out their life, they could see useful effects.

As these events continued, what Japanese sorcerers pursued gradually began to change.

The practice of training body, mind, and soul was replaced by enduring the harshness of daily life.

Instead of seeking the Way, they pursued the continuation of their own lives.

Instead of expanding the mind, they sought personal well-being.

Survival.

Sorcerers learned sorcery solely for this one thing, and instead of fulfilling others' selfish desires, they began to show selfish aspects that only considered their own bodies. And as this was repeated over and over, Japanese sorcery became specialized in survival and escape, while forms of sorcery like divination and rituals degenerated endlessly.

And while developing in such a strange form, a singularity appeared.

It was the emergence of the Contractors.

The Contractors wielded peculiar powers, claiming they had been chosen by various gods, and intervened in the world with knowledge unknown to humans. They defeated evil spirits born from excessive wars and drove away malevolent spirits that roamed fearlessly harming people.

And they gathered to bestow a blessing.

The range was what they considered 'all under heaven'.

In other words, all of Japan.

『 The great gods have bestowed blessings for the humans living pitiful lives. 』

『 All under heaven will become abundant. 』

Under their blessing, everyone became happy.

Warriors became stronger more quickly.

The grains obtained by farmers increased in number.

The fruits on trees became larger and sweeter.

Although people's small physiques remained unchanged, at least the number of absurd deaths decreased significantly, leading to an increase in population.

The grace of the gods was truly immense.

And this blessing came equally to sorcerers as well.

The great gods, the Transcendent Beings, loved all humans.

They were infinitely benevolent towards humans.

『 Sorcery is not a wrong power, but it is a power that twists people's bodies, souls, and minds. Even so, it doesn't lower the value of humans, but it makes their form extremely bizarre and prevents them from living their destined lives. 』

『 The great beings respect those who seek the Way and search for truth through sorcery. How could they hate those who explore and expand the deepest parts of the mind, and endure the pain of their souls being reversed while pursuing knowledge? 』

『 But you are not learning sorcery with great intentions, but only as a means of survival, and while bearing the harm of shortened lifespans, you are gradually moving away from survival, which is nothing short of a tragedy. 』

『 So I will find something for you to protect your bodies and extend your lifelines. 』

The one who called himself the Contractor of the Rabbit God gathered the Japanese sorcerers and spoke thus. Then he gathered the knowledge they had in one place, and from there, selected things that were good for sorcerers to use for survival. And among them were also things that were classified as sorcery but were not actually sorcery.

Things that had been classified as sorcery due to ignorance were systematized.

Sorceries with small costs were chosen by the Contractor.

And these organized things were packaged under the name of techniques.

『 Sorcery is an unsystematized power and has the vastness to embrace everything. But there are things buried in that vastness that are not sorcery. I have borrowed the power of the great gods to select for you things that are not sorcery. 』

『 However, as there are too few examples to develop independently, I have combined things that match well and sorceries with small costs. 』

『 You should cherish this, develop it, and make it your armor to protect your body. 』

『 Thus, cultivate power so that you can protect yourself without paying a harsh price. 』

The sorcerers were moved by the Contractor's grace.

They bundled the sorceries and non-sorceries organized by the Contractor under the name 'Onmyodo', and those who learned it came to be called Onmyoji or Onmyoji-shi.

The Onmyoji gradually developed the weak Onmyodo.

Onmyodo evolved into a form suitable for the Japanese environment changed by the Contractors, and moved in the direction of using high-density energy and the hon and baek scattered here and there. However, while developing, they did not forget the obsession of the old sorcerers, and Onmyodo became a form that prioritized the survival of the practitioner.

Fighting directly was dangerous.

Therefore, the Onmyoji imitated the sorcery of creating fairy mimics to create sorcery that drew pictures on paper and used them as servants, which they called shikigami.

The abilities of Onmyodo were not diverse.

Because they gathered things that were not sorcery and had small costs, it might have been good for living their destined lives, but compared to general sorcery, the limits of its abilities were infinitely low and its power was insignificant.

To compensate for this, they chose to create cursed objects and stuff them with hon, baek, and energy to utilize them.

This was called engraving technique.

In addition, they created barrier techniques to create spaces to hide from those targeting their lives, developed talismans, and developed curses to kill enemy commanders while avoiding swords and arrows. They developed sorcery for survival and began to focus on non-sorcery that used energy, hon, and baek scattered throughout Japan as materials.

And in the midst of this, to be recognized by those in power as an indispensable existence rather than 'consumables for battle', they also learned divination and divined good and bad fortune.

This was the reason why Onmyoji could survive until modern times.

From the time they were defined under the name of Onmyoji until modern times.

They did not hesitate to join hands with power for survival, and even when leaders and rules changed, they continued to use their talents to secure important positions, build connections, and continue their lineage. And this was the same even after Japan went through World War and entered modern times.

And to say they did not hesitate to join hands with power is to say in other words that they were very sensitive to power.

They were those who knew how to distinguish rising stars from falling stars, and knew how to sell favors to them and avoid incurring grudges.

But stars cannot be defined in one way.

How many seem to be rising only to fall, and seem to be falling only to rise?

Fruit may look good on the outside but be sour and astringent, and even if the light of gold is tempting, it may be full of black iron lumps inside. Therefore, they strived to understand those in power without going against their mood, and spared no expense to distinguish jade from stone. They drew lines to those they thought were jade to receive their protection, and bestowed just enough favor to those they think are stones to avoid incurring grudges.

Yes.

They bestowed.

They didn't offer to them.

They bestowed.

With the power of Onmyodo.

With the power of the Onmyoji group.

With irreplaceable position and ability!

They provided Onmyodo in exchange for the protection of power as if trading.

They bestowed favors even to those who didn't qualify to avoid incurring grudges.

For survival.

For the prosperity of the Onmyoji group.

For a peaceful and abundant life.

But there couldn't be rights without obligations.

Onmyoji had to prevent external sorcerers from entering Japan for a peaceful life.

They had to protect security from sorcerers who would wield their power recklessly in the blessed land of Japan, and prevent external sorcerers from wielding absolute power in their stead.

"The investigation on Uchikawa Ryosuke is complete."

This was the duty of the Onmyoji for the survival of the group and the safety of Japan.